Mirror on the Wall
by Persistence
Summary: Smart, popular, perfect and handsome are words that could best be used describe Ichigo Kurosaki, but Grimmjow believes he's nothing more than a fake, and he couldn't be more right. GrimIchi, past HichiIchi yaoi
1. Chapter 1

I said I wasn't going to post a new fic until I had others completed, but I actually ended up falling out of Bleach since the wait for the next chapter and then it did come out it was pretty boring (after all those chapters of fighting, its hard going back to normal plot), and now just waiting for it to get interesting again.

This is AU, no shinigami or hollows or anything supernatural in this story**. **My inspiration for this fic happened when I was reading Death Note: Another Note LABB case, that book just fed the plot bunnies like no tomorrow.

Pairings: Grim/Ichi, and others TBA

**Warnings: this will be a violent fic (with minor fluff added in later so it doesn't get too dark) that will include character(s) death, blood, and other violent activities, along with yaoi (M/M), language, and will eventually contain sexual situations that are not appropriate for minors. **

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The sidewalks were busy with people heading to work and teens making their merry way to school, the younger children accompanied by their parents. It was the best way to commute on a busy Monday morning, especially when one lived only a few blocks from the school.

A young man with dark orange, spiky hair waited for the light to change along with a large group of people wanting to cross the street. He wore the standard school uniform: grey khaki pants with a matching jacket and a loose white button down shirt underneath. Unlike several young men whose shirts were stretched to the max while the buttons were crying for mercy, this young man was fairly thin, and had more muscle than fat on his five-foot-nine body.

"Mommy, mommy look!" a little girl aged around five pulled on her mother's dress but kept her eyes fixed on the orange haired young man. He simply sighed and looked down at the brat, who stared right back up at him. "That man has orange hair," the little girl whispered as if it were a secret, but loudly enough for the crowd to hear. Thankfully, most people simply ignored the girl in favor of chatting away on their cell phones. The girl's mother was included in that group.

"That's nice, dear," the mother said absently and hushed the girl by grabbing her hand, using her shoulder to keep the phone pressed her ear since her hands were full. She dragged the little girl across the street, and the orange haired teen contemplated taking a different route if he was otherwise going to have to follow the two halfway to school.

"But-" the little girl protested and stared back at the teen, not watching where she was going. She heard her mother chatting with her friend and finally saying goodbye, and that was when her mother let go of her hand in favor of grabbing her cell phone and turning it off.

The little girl stumbled and fell onto the pavement, dirtying her knees. It hadn't hurt too bad, though; she was more worried about her two books, which she had dropped when she'd fallen. She reached out to pick them up but a stranger stepped on one, and she looked up to see people walking all around her. "Momma?" she whined, and looked around to find that she couldn't see her mother anywhere. Her eyes widened in fear as she saw more strangers coming towards her, none of them paying attention to the child in the middle of the road. Tears began pooling in her eyes and she was about to start crying when someone grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to her feet. She didn't have time to look up as she was dragged to the sidewalk and pulled to one side of the stream of people.

The little girl looked up at her savior and realized it was the orange haired guy she had seen earlier that had rescued her. He even held her books in the hand that wasn't holding her arm. He stared into the crowd and paid no attention to her, but didn't let go.

"Nel? Nel!" a female voice called from the crowd, and the girl's mother came rushing back. She had obviously realized that she was missing something, or rather someone. The woman's face was filled with panic and her eyes widened when she saw that her child was safe, but with a stranger.

"Momma!" The teen let go of the girl and watched as she ran to her mother and hugged the woman's legs. The little girl finally started bawling as she was lifted up into her mother's arms.

"I'm so sorry, baby." The mother kissed her daughter's forehead. She stared over at the teen, who awkwardly walked over to return the books that had been dropped in the street.

"Here." The teen held the books out in his hand and the little girl, Nel, turned around and sniffled as snot ran from her nose. Her eyes were still watery and tears fell from her eyes.

"Thank you," Nel whispered, and took the books into her hand. The orange haired teen didn't bother sticking around waiting for the mother to say anything and simply walked away from the two. He heard the mother call out a 'thank you' but didn't care. She should have been looking after her kid better, and she was lucky that he'd noticed her before anything could happen.

The teen didn't make it ten steps before he heard clapping. He narrowed his eyes and looked to his left. There, he saw a girl with black hair and violet eyes wearing a school uniform standing next to a guy with red hair tied in a ponytail who wore a uniform similar to the orange haired teen's, but with the jacket thrown over his right shoulder. The red haired male had his arms crossed over his chest and had a cheesy grin on his face. As for the girl, she finally stopped clapping and placed her hands on her hips.

"That was so sweet." The girl smirked, but the orange haired teen simply rolled his eyes.

"At least I helped out the kid. You probably would have taken her home and cooked her for dinner, Rukia." the orange haired teen smirked when the girl's grin faltered and became a frown while her eyes narrowed. He looked over at the redhead who was snickering behind the girl's back and raised an eyebrow at him. "I wouldn't be laughing if I were you; you'd probably get as lost as the kid was, Renji." That shut the redhead up, and he instead leveled a glare at the orange haired teen.

"Whatever." Rukia dropped her hands from her hips in favor of folding them across her chest like Renji had been doing before he'd been insulted.

"You want to be an ass this morning, fine. I was going to warn you, but now…" Renji smirked and the other teen narrowed his eyes, already able to predict what was coming. It was a morning ritual and he knew it would happen sooner or later, but obviously today it was going to be sooner. He shifted his feet and clenched his hand into a fist that he knew he would be using in a few seconds.

Ah, there it was.

"_!"_

He could feel the air around him shifting as the piecing scream came closer and closer until he finally whirled around and planted his fist into another boy's face. The brown haired teen, Keigo, gave a small cry of pain before he dropped to the ground cradling his face.

"Wow, nice one Ichigo," a black haired boy by the name of Mizuiro commented as he and a group of teens walked up to the three. Mizuiro greeted them with a smile before taking out his cell phone and aiming it at his fallen friend whose butt was sticking up in the air.

"Hi Kurosaki-kun! How are you this morning?" Orihime Inoue asked sweetly, both her hands clasped onto her book bag. Her long hair hung on either side of her face because she'd chosen not to wear her hairpins today. It was unusual for her, and if it became a problem she intended put her long orange hair up into a ponytail.

"Good. How are you, Inoue-san?" Ichigo asked politely with a smile as Keigo was pulled up from the ground by a tall teen with darkly tanned skin and wavy brown hair that fell into his eyes.

"Why must you be so cruel? I've been a good friend, haven't I? Why do you treat them better than me?" Keigo cried, then pulled his hand away from his face. The stinging had finally stopped, but he continued acting overly dramatic about the situation as if it didn't happen every morning.

"Maybe if you stopped trying to hug him every morning he wouldn't have to punch you," Rukia suggested, and Keigo got teary eyed and turned away from them.

"Even you have turned against me, Rukia-chan?" Keigo cried, but he wasn't receiving any sympathy from the group.

"You have orange on your face," a black haired teen observed as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He kept himself at a distance from the group as if they all had the plague, but Uryu Ishida always acted as if he was better than everyone else even if they were friends (not that he would admit it).

"Hm." Mizuiro looked back at Keigo and found that Uryu was right; there was an orange imprint on Keigo's face. "He's right, look." He pointed to Keigo's cheek and the others examined the orange patch.

"What? My face? Oh my god I'm dying!" Keigo panicked, slapping his hand over his face.

"Stupidity can't spread, can it?" Renji whispered to Rukia, who rolled her eyes at him.

"Don't worry, you already got it," she sighed, and waited a few seconds for him to finally catch on. She smirked as she watched the brown haired teen freak out. She watched as he ran over to Orihime and grabbed the girl before shoving his head into her breasts as if they could cure him. Orihime stared down at him in surprise and looked to the others for help, but just then a girl with short black hair, having finally caught up with the group, grabbed Keigo by the back of his shirt and flung him off Orihime.

"What did I tell you last time? You touch her and I'll cut your balls off, wasn't it?" Tatsuki threatened, stepping in front of Orihime. Keigo whimpered on the ground and crossed his legs, and the other boys in the group finally felt a little sorry for the guy.

"But … but..." Keigo whined. He looked back at Ichigo, but the other boy had no intention of helping him. "Hey, your hand!" he exclaimed suddenly, jumping to his feet and grabbing a hold of Ichigo's hand to stare at his palm. "Why is your hand orange?" Keigo asked, and Ichigo yanked his hand away.

"Oh, were you finger painting? I used to do that all the time! I would color on the walls, on the couch... Oh, how I wished I could color on the ceiling, but my brother put a stop to it before I could try." Orihime sighed sadly and bowed her head. The group stared at her for a second before turning back to Ichigo for an explanation.

"I was helping Yuzu with a project last night and this crap wouldn't come off," he muttered, and shoved his hand into his pocket so they would stop staring at it as if he was deformed. "Shouldn't we be getting to school? It starts in less than a half an hour," he said quickly, changing the subject. Luckily, it worked and the group realized they had only twenty more minutes before the two-minute warning bell would ring.

"You know what we should do? We should ditch and go to the mall and hang out! We can spend the day playing video games and the girls can go shopping! I heard there's a new Chappy line of perfume coming out," Keigo whispered in Rukia's ear to try and entice her to join him. "Come on, it'll be fun!" He raised his fist in the air but got a swift hit in the head from Tatsuki, who'd grown annoyed with him.

"_You _can. It's not like your grades can get any worse," Tatsuki muttered as she left the brown haired boy rubbing his head, standing next to Mizuiro. The black haired boy simply smiled. He shook his head as if he'd known what the outcome would be, but didn't bother helping his friend.

"You guys are nothing but nerds," Keigo whined when no one agreed to join him and decided to follow behind the group, making sure to keep a safe distance between him and anyone who could cause him harm.

"Kurosaki-kun, what kind of project did you and your sister make?" Orihime asked kindly as she walked beside the orange haired teen, swinging her bag back and forth in front of her.

"Uh, I helped her create a model of Jupiter. We ended up having to redo the project since the first one ended up in my dad's face after he started asking Karin if she had a boyfriend." Ichigo sighed and looked up at the clear blue morning sky. It seemed so peaceful yet so boring, which was the exact opposite of his life. His family was never boring, especially now that their home had a clinic attached to it and patients often arrived on their doorstep bloody and broken to wait for his father to patch them up. He was still getting used to it since he and his family had moved to this small town only two months ago. Before that, his father had worked at a hospital in Kyoto and rarely shared details about his work with his family. Now, his work was coming home. Of course, he understood why his father had decided to work from home rather than a hospital. It had to do with … his mother.

Ichigo lowered his gaze. Everyone in Kyoto had heard of what had happened to Masaki Kurosaki. Her body had been found beaten and mutilated by the river. It was in every newspaper and on every news channel. Luckily, the media hadn't shown any pictures of the gruesome evidence of her death, but they'd had no problem going into detail about the murder. The Kurosaki household had been bombarded with news reporters questioning them about how they felt about the incident and if they had a message for the killer who'd taken Masaki away from them. They'd even gone so far as to question the neighbors, and some had repeatedly harassed him on his way to school. That had been three years ago, and luckily the media had died down ... at least until they caught the murderer who had killed Masaki and several others.

"Kurosaki-kun? Are you alright?" Orihime asked, waving a hand in front of his face. It seemed that he had spaced out on her and she'd become slightly worried. They had reached the school quickly and wouldn't have to worry about rushing to their seats, but during the walk Ichigo had seemed to go off into his own world and had ignored the orange haired girl's other attempts to get his attention.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." Ichigo blinked, finally answering her question. He noticed the others had already headed into the building, with the exception of Keigo who'd found a few girls to flirt with (though they seemed more interested in Mizuiro than him).

"I was a little worried; you kind of spaced out on me back there. Not that it's a bad thing, of course! I do it all the time. Like this one time I was…" Orihime began to tell him about a similar incident where she had spaced out, and Ichigo went back into his own thoughts.

It had been two months since he had moved here, and he had settled in better than expected. He met Chad on his first day and they became friends almost instantly. Then he met Orihime, Tatsuki, Uryu, Keigo, and Mizuiro and sat with them during lunch, inviting Chad of course. Then, finally, he met Renji and Rukia and several of their friends, who all seemed nice enough. It was very … different for him. He had never been popular before and had always kept his friends at a distance, spending most of his time with only a few good friends. He wasn't going to complain though, especially not after what he'd been dealing with. For once, he was actually enjoying the attention.

"Kurosaki-kun," Orihime piped up again, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I was wondering why your hair looks darker than before." She raised a finger to her lips and stared up at his spiky orange hair. "I could have sworn it was lighter last week, or maybe I'm just seeing things," she laughed to herself, scratching the back of her head.

"No, it's still the same," Ichigo responded as they walked closer to the school. Orihime was a very sweet and kind girl, even if she was a little ditzy at times. Oddly enough, she was also one of the smartest students in school. You would never expect it just by looking at her; he certainly hadn't. Of course, the number one student was Uryu, who had no problem reminding everyone of it.

"Uh-oh," Orihime whispered, scooting behind Ichigo as they entered the building. He looked back at her with confusion before she pointed down the hall and he saw the problem. A group of students was loitering near the entrance, each one either Ichigo's height or taller. One had blue hair and had his back towards them, which was very lucky since he was known to enjoy picking fights with everyone that crossed his path. His name was Grimmjow, and almost every professor in the school knew him in one way or another, either from having him in his or her class, from having to sit with him during detention, or from breaking up a fight between him and some other student. Next to him was Stark, a teen with wavy brown hair and sleepy brown eyes who spent most of his class time sleeping. He was the least of the problem since he was sort of the peacekeeper of the small group. Standing next to him and staring in Ichigo and Orihime's direction was Nnoitra. He was the tallest by far, standing six-foot-four with black hair that went past his shoulders. He always wore a sadistic grin to intimidate the younger students. Like Grimmjow, he enjoyed tormenting people and liked to hang other students out the window by their ankles. Lastly, there was Ulquiorra. He was the shortest of the group at five-foot-seven. He also had black hair, but it wasn't as long as Nnoitra's. He had piercing green eyes that seemed void of all life. He was extremely pale (almost a little too pale) and had a thin build. He wasn't as aggressive as his friends, and preferred to insult and otherwise emotionally abuse his peers rather than cause physical harm. Ichigo had learned that the first day of school when the black haired boy had called him trash.

"Just ignore them. Come on," Ichigo whispered to Orihime, dragging her down a different hallway to go the long way around. It was better than risking getting her involved in a fight. He knew that if Orihime got hurt while he was with her, Tatsuki would kick his ass.

"Hey, there's that orange haired freak, what's his name? Ichinose or something?" Nnoitra nodded in the orange haired teen's direction. Grimmjow turned his head and snorted when he saw the two retreating down another hallway.

"Whatever, he's a freaking coward. Can't even come down this hallway, must still be afraid after that fight we had last week." Grimmjow grinned and cracked his knuckles.

"If I recall correctly, your fight with him was a tie since it never finished and you both were bruised up when the teachers separated you," Ulquiorra sighed, deflating Grimmjow's ego. The last thing he wished to hear was Grimmjow puffing out his chest and acting as if he was the most badass person in the school. It became annoying after a while.

"Tch, he got lucky. He won't be next time. I'll have the little fucker crying like a bitch," Grimmjow growled under his breath, which didn't go unnoticed by his friends. Almost immediately, Nnoitra started snickering at the comment and received a glare from his blue haired friend. Ulquiorra simply sighed while Stark yawned and leaned against the lockers, wishing it was a bed pressed against his back instead of hard metal.

"Sounds almost like you like the little freak," Nnoitra chuckled, and quickly moved out of the way so Grimmjow's fist hit air rather than his face. "What? I'm just saying, all you've done since the little freak started school here is complain about him. I don't like him either, but you've made it your mission to try to terrorize the fruit every chance you get. It only makes sense," he defended himself, warily keeping a safe distance between himself and the angry teen.

"You ever say that again and I'll cut your tongue out and make you eat it. I can't stand him 'cause everyone else has fallen head over heels for him since the day he fucking arrived. It was like they rolled out the red carpet for him since he isn't good enough to walk on the same dirt as the rest of us. The teachers treat him better and let him get away with talking in class while the rest of us would get immediate detention. Every club in school tried to get him to join them, he gets A's on everything, he made friends instantly, and I swear if I hear one more girl comment on how cute he is I'll slit her fucking throat!" Grimmjow muttered and crossed his arms over his chest. He had left out his and Kurosaki's first encounter. The little snob had snubbed him like he was trash and everyone in school knew that was the last thing you did to Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. The little punk had the perfect life and everything fell into his hands so easily, and everyone had bought into it. Except Grimmjow, of course. He didn't buy the kid's perfect act and luckily, neither did his friends.

"Sounds like you're jealous." Stark shifted against the locker as the two minute warning bell rang. It did nothing to wake him up, and instead seemed to make him even drowsier. "Besides, he's not that bad. I live next door to him, and Lilinette plays on the same soccer team as his sister." He yawned before pushing himself off the locker and heading down the hallway towards his first class along with the other three. "His father is a bit on the annoying side though; I hear the man shouting every morning," he sighed.

"Whatever," Grimmjow muttered as they entered the classroom. His eyes were immediately drawn to Kurosaki sitting innocently in the midst of his group of maggots. He sneered as he passed the group and received a glare from Tatsuki in return, but he ignored the girl. He and his friends made their way to the back of the classroom just as the final bell rang. He sat down in his seat and leaned back, kicking his feet up onto the back of the chair in front of him. The student in front of him turned her head slightly and glared at him for kicking her seat, but he ignored her. She'd get used to it after a while; she always did.

The class waited for the professor to arrive. He was running unusually late. Usually Professor Ukitake was waiting in the classroom before the first student arrived, and greeted them with a warm smile. He had been getting sick lately, though, and there was a chance he'd called in and they were going to have a substitute for the day. There was a very small possibility that they would receive the same substitute teacher they had last time. Professor Matsumoto wasn't the best teacher and she rarely covered her chest, but at least it made all the boys in the class pay very close attention.

Thirty seconds later, a man with long white hair tied in a ponytail entered the room with a solemn expression on his face. He reached his desk and lightly touched it with his head bowed. The class waited anxiously to learn the reason their professor had been late. Seconds passed by and he finally raised his head and looked at the class.

"I am afraid I have some bad news," he began, his voice quiet and slightly uneven. He looked down at his students and tried to prepare himself to announce the news that would certainly shock them. "I received news this morning that one of our school counselors, Kaien Shiba, was killed last night," he said quietly. Several gasps were heard around the room before the class broke out into whispers.

It was best not to go into detail, and he had no intention of telling the students how Kaien had been found. Just the thought was horrendous. It had happened the previous night when the janitor was finishing up and had found Shiba's door open. He had found it strange since the young man always locked it before he left, especially considering that confidential documents were kept inside. He had intended to shut the door and lock it, but before he could he heard a dripping sound. He then turned on the lights and found Kaien's body hanging from the lights with a rope tied around his neck. Professor Ukitake had been told that anyone seeing the body for the first time would have thought the young man had committed suicide, but that wasn't the case. There were several slashes running along the young man's body, and a finger had been sliced off. The police had spent the entire night investigating the scene, and that area of the school was still closed off.

"I know this is a shock as many of you had him as your counselor," he whispered, eyes falling on Rukia who had burst into tears. The girl was normally strong and had never shed a tear as long as he had known her, and the same went for Renji who had known her his whole life. He had never seen her cry, but Kaien had been a close family friend so it was no surprise the news had hit her hard.

"There will be a group support meeting held after classes today for any who need someone to talk to. If you wish, you can go ahead and speak with them now," he suggested, and saw several students rise from their chairs, Rukia included, and leave the room.

"Wasn't that your counselor too?" Tatsuki whispered to Ichigo, who looked slightly shocked by the news.

"Yeah," he whispered. He had only met the man a few times, one being the week before. Kaien had been a very happy and friendly man that everyone seemed to adore. He always took time out of his day to help students with anything they might need or problems they were facing at home. There was not one person in the school who could complain about the man, and the school would be at a loss without him.

"I am sorry, and as much as I'd wished they would close the school today, they want us to continue with lesson. So I will make it a very easy class this week." Professor Ukitake sighed and ran a hand over his face. The loss had hit him hard as well. He remembered having Kaien as one of his students. He was extremely bright and would often stay after school to volunteer his time. He had grown very fond of the young man and had been proud of how Kaien turned out. With his grades he could have done anything he wanted, but he instead chose to come back to his former high school and help struggling students.

The class flew by quickly since the professor had decided that instead of going over Romeo and Juliet and asking the students' opinions on what the translations meant, he allowed them to watch the movie. Whether they paid attention or not, he didn't test them on it or demand they write a paper and simply allowed them to have an easy class.

It wasn't long before the bell rang, ending class. Professor Ukitake announced that he was going to extend their assignment for two weeks to give the students a chance to grieve.

"Are you okay?" Orihime asked Ichigo, who hadn't gotten up from his desk just yet. He stared out the window dully and didn't pay attention until he felt Orihime's hand on his shoulder and he turned to see her and Renji standing before him.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine." Ichigo shrugged before piling his books together and throwing them in his book bag.

"I can't believe what happened to Kaien, he was so awesome," Keigo mumbled under his breath. "I remember my sophomore year when Coach Kenpachi had to take off because his daughter got sick, Kaien stepped in and was our instructor for the week. That was the best week ever! He showed us different fighting techniques and taught us how to defend ourselves. Plus, he always gave good advice on how to get a girl." He sighed sadly and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"It's a shame it never worked for you," Mizuiro commented and turned to wink at one of the girls sitting on her desk, causing her to blush.

"Hey, you guys can go ahead. I'll see you later," Ichigo said, wanting sometime alone. It was nice having so many friends, but it could be a curse when he wanted to be by himself. This was one of those moments.

"Fine, I got to go see if Rukia is okay," Renji muttered before leaving the group, not waiting for the others to catch up.

"Okay, maybe tonight I'll make some chocolate salmon cheese cupcakes and bring them tomorrow!" Orihime suggested, raising her hand. Her eyes brightened, oblivious to the disgusted looks on the others' faces.

"Okay, you go do that." Tatsuki began pushing Orihime out the door before she could come up with any more ideas for destroying foods that normal people liked.

"You sure you're okay?" Chad asked from behind him, and Ichigo turned to see the tall teen staring down at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ichigo gave a small smile and nod. That seemed to get the giant's approval, and he followed the rest of his classmates out the door.

Ichigo tapped his fingers on the wooden desk and leaned back. He stared passively at the blackboard in front of him while internally his mind was racing. The news hadn't shocked him the way it had the others. He had seen enough death in his lifetime to not be surprised by the news that someone he knew had been killed. Even if he had only met the man a handful of times, he had to admit he'd been nice. Almost a little _too_ nice and concerned for Ichigo's liking, actually.

_It's a shame; he seemed like a nice man…_ Ichigo thought as he stood up, his normal scowl plastering his face as he left the classroom. He walked out into the hallway and found it empty, much to his relief. He didn't like the crowded hallways; there were just too many people. He hadn't been very social when he'd been younger, and he'd come to enjoy being alone. He supposed it mostly came from his time spent in a…

"Pfft what's the matter, friends ditch ya?" Grimmjow's voice interrupted his thoughts, and Ichigo turned around to see the blue haired male standing a few feet away with his hands shoved in his pockets. There was a dark gleam in the other teen's eyes, and Ichigo knew he wanted to fight.

"No, I believe they went home to go online and look at naked pictures of your mother." Ichigo shrugged casually and allowed a small smirk to spread across his lips.

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. "Too bad they did that, 'cause now they won't be able to watch as you get the shit beaten out of you," he sneered and started moving in closer. He watched as Ichigo dropped his book bag and held his arms at his side as if waiting for Grimmjow to come at him.

"If I'd heard that from someone more threatening I'd have believed it, but coming from you, I imagine the most you'll give me is a small scratch and a stain on my clothes after I kick your ass." Ichigo smirked and stepped closer. Grimmjow raised his fist and was about to strike the teen when someone grabbed his wrist.

Grimmjow snarled and twirled around to see Ulquiorra holding him back. "Not now!" he shouted at his friend and tried to yank his hand free.

"No," Ulquiorra muttered, refusing to let go.

"Looks like you got lucky, smurf." Ichigo smirked as he grabbed his book bag off the ground. "Just pray you have backup the next time we meet because if you don't, I'll throw you down and crush your skull," he warned before turning around and walking down the hallway.

"Damnit Ulquiorra, what the fuck did you do that for?" Grimmjow yelled as he finally yanked himself free of the shorter teen's grasp. The black haired male did not seem fazed by his friend's behavior and simply waved it off.

"There is something I wish to show you about Ichigo Kurosaki that you might find interesting," Ulquiorra replied and turned down the hallway towards the computer lab. Grimmjow narrowed his eyes at his friend, still ticked off that he had broken up the fight between them. He wanted nothing more than to punch that piece of shit in the face until he was black and blue. He was tempted to turn around and chase after Kurosaki and finally begin their fight, but it sounded like Ulquiorra knew something about the other teen and Grimmjow was willing to use whatever means available to get back at the punk.

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A/N: I should mention this is not an Ichigo and Grimmjow hate each other and then fall in love fic, it's a bit more complicated than that. This chapter may be a bit confusing and actually, the next chapter has a bit more answers, but if you have any questions please ask and I'll try to answer them the best I can (without giving anything away).

Next Chapter: **Patient 10139**

Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed, and please review!


	2. Chapter 2

I'll begin by saying I'm sorry this took so long to update, along with everything else. I'm not going to bore u all with details, but I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I really appreciate the feedback on the chapter!

Special thanks to **Panruru** for betaing this chapter!

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When Ichigo arrived home, it was just like normal. His younger sister, Karin, was in her room listening to music; his other sister, Yuzu, was busy in the kitchen finishing the last bit of dinner; and his father… Ichigo narrowed his eyes. The old man made a habit of trying a sneak attack on him every time he walked through the door. He wasn't going to let his guard down just yet; the old fool was probably prowling around the house somewhere waiting for him to turn his back.

He kicked his shoes off before heading down the hallway towards the kitchen where he could smell Yuzu's wonderful cooking. He slid the door open and closed it behind him.

"Ichi-nii!" he heard Yuzu say in surprise as he cast his gaze on his younger sister. She dropped the spoon she'd been using to stir a pot to come greet him. "How was school? I hope it was as good as my day was! You know that assignment I was working on for two weeks? I got an A!" she squealed in delight before hugging her brother.

"Good job, Yuzu!" He hugged her back and smiled. She had adapted to moving to Karakura Town better than anyone else in the family. Their father was still working on getting his name around town to attract new patients to his clinic, and as for Karin, she seemed bitter about moving and having to leave all her friends behind. She participated in soccer after school, but was a bit anti-social towards anyone who tried to talk to her. Only the week before, she had gotten detention for fighting with another student after class. All their father had done was cheer her on, saying 'no one beats a Kurosaki'.

"School was alright, do you know where…" He paused before abruptly grabbing Yuzu and hitting the floor as their father came flying through the door and over their heads. Yuzu covered her head with her hands and shut her eyes while Ichigo gave their father an annoyed expression.

"Very good, you're getting quicker!" Isshin Kurosaki yelled before Ichigo shot up to his feet and decked his father in the face.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? What kind of father attacks his own children in the kitchen?" Ichigo growled.

Isshin pouted and rubbed his face. "Can't have you going soft on me, boy. Besides, gotta make sure you're able to defend yourself!" he said, only realizing how it had come out when he saw Ichigo's gaze darken.

"Oh, uh, dinner's ready! Dad, why don't you get Karin," Yuzu suggested before another fight could break out. The last time this topic had come up, Ichigo had punched his father in the face and stormed up to his bedroom without dinner. She knew her father didn't mean any harm and cared for all of them, but this subject had been very sensitive with Ichigo ever since the … incident. Truthfully, she didn't know how he was coping as well as he was now.

"Whatever," Ichigo muttered after Isshin took off down the hall calling Karin's name.

"Um." Yuzu caught his attention and he turned to find her looking down almost guiltily. "I heard from one of my classmates that a counselor at your school was killed," she commented, still refusing to look him in the eye.

Ichigo's expression softened and he sighed before sitting down at the table. "Yeah, he was my counselor," he replied, and heard her gasp in shock.

"Are you alright? I mean, what happened? Do they know what happened?" she asked him, stumbling over her words in her attempt to get out what she wanted to say.

"I only met him once or twice, so I didn't really know him too well." Ichigo shrugged. "They're investigating it at the school," he commented before the door slid open and a dark haired girl marched through with an angry expression, followed by their father who was holding his nose. Both of them sat down at the table, Isshin at the head of the table with Karin to his left and Yuzu and Ichigo to his right.

Karin sat across from her brother without looking up at him and waited in silence for Yuzu to scoop a generous portion of rice onto her plate. She kept her head bowed and ignored the chatter between Ichigo, Yuzu, and their father. It had been like this every night since they moved to Karakura Town. She knew they thought she was acting distant because of the move, but it wasn't that at all though that did mark the starting point of her isolation.

**Two Months Ago**

"_Is Ichi-nii going to be alright?" Yuzu asked, tears running down her face as she hugged her father. Karin sat next to him, her hands clenching her seat. She hadn't been crying like Yuzu had, but her eyes were filled with worry._

_Seven days ago, they'd found out their brother had been kidnapped by that deranged psycho they'd heard of on the news. He had been found just two hours ago. They'd received visits from detectives Hirako and Kensei every day to go over the progress they were making in their investigation, but it was never enough for Karin. Each second that ticked by was an eternity spent wondering what was happening to Ichigo and if he was safe and, more importantly, alive. Since their brother's disappearance, Isshin had forbidden the girls from going to school and had kept them safe at home. It wasn't until ten at night on the seventh day that they'd received a phone call informing them that Ichigo had been found and his kidnapper was being sent back to Kyoto Mental Hospital. _

_They had rushed to the hospital as fast as Isshin could drive only to learn that Ichigo was in the ICU. The only information they could get out Detective Hirako, who had been waiting there for them, was that Ichigo would be all right. Detective Hirako told them only a little about the condition Ichigo had been in when they found him. Isshin then left his daughters in the waiting room so the detective could give him the information he didn't didn't want the children to hear. _

_Karin saw her father come back ten minutes later looking slightly pale with a frown on his normally cheery face. Yuzu peppered him with questions regarding Ichi-nii's condition and what had happened to him, but he didn't answer. Karin knew something was wrong, and she glared up at her father for not telling them. They were old enough to know how violent the world was; they weren't children that needed to be coddled. Perhaps he was doing it for Yuzu as she was more sensitive, but Karin knew she could take whatever their father had to say about their brother's condition._

"_Girls, I talked with detective Hirako and he said some terrible things happened to Ichigo," Isshin finally told them, and Yuzu looked up at him, eyes wide with tears. Karin could see the sight was breaking his heart, but he continued, "after what he's been through, he might seem a little … different. I want you both to know he is still your brother, and no matter what he loves you both just as much as you love him," he said, and Karin tilted her head to the side. _

_She felt more frustrated than ever. He'd changed? What had happened? Had the psycho tortured him? Beaten him? Broken him? She wanted to know. She narrowed her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, sitting back against her chair as their father rubbed Yuzu's back and she cried into his arms. _

_Karin stared at the doors, waiting for someone to come out who would hopefully enlighten the twins as to how their brother was and what he'd gone through. The only thing they'd been told was that he was fine, but according to her father, he wasn't. She quietly tapped her foot on the floor, ignoring the television which was playing the nightly news. _

_Suddenly, the door swung open and Ichigo's nurse came out and smiled at them softly. She said nothing as she walked towards the nurses' station and gave them no indication as to Ichigo's condition. "I think I'm going to drink some water," Karin told her father. He nodded, and she hopped out of her seat and walked around the nurses' station to the drinking fountain on the other side. _

"_Poor kid." Karin's ears perked up when she heard Ichigo's nurse speaking to one of the other nurses. "I didn't know if he was going to make it with the blood loss from the stab wound," she stated, and Karin's mouth dropped open, not caring that water was pouring into her mouth and running out. _

"_At least he survived. I heard that his attacker's other victims didn't survive," the other nurse commented. _

"_He had more than just a stab wound; there were also traces of rape…" At that last word, Karin ceased listening out of shock. Rape? There was no way that her Ichi-nii had been raped. She had heard stories about that happening to women, but she had never imagined it happening to a man, much less her own brother. She felt her heart sink in her chest, and she stepped away from the drinking fountain and wiped her mouth. _

"Karin?" The dark haired girl blinked and looked up at Yuzu, who was now sitting across from her and had already emptied half her plate. She looked down to find that she had barely touched her own meal, so she slowly picked up her fork. "Are you okay? You were staring at your plate, is it not cooked enough?" she asked, sounding worried.

"It's wonderful, my darling Yuzu. Karin was probably thinking about all the guys in class and comparing them to her awesome dadd-" Isshin was cut off when Karin punched him in the face.

"Don't finish that sentence!" she growled at him. She sat back down in her seat and noticed that Ichigo's plate was empty and he had already left the table. She sighed, picked up her fork again, and began eating. She hadn't told anyone about what she had heard, and her brother had never said anything about what had happened to him during that week he'd been kidnapped. It seemed like he was pretending it had never happened and just trying to move on with his life. However, what surprised her the most was how well he had adapted to the new school and how many friends he'd already made. She would have thought after what happened he would have avoided people altogether.

* * *

Ichigo pushed the door to his room open and kicked it shut behind him. He clicked the light switch on and observed his room. It wasn't overly crowded; he had kept it simple. A dresser rested against the wall to the left side of the room, directly across from his desk and chair where his books and some scattered papers lay. A rug was spread on the floor from behind the chair to his bed, which was located near the window.

He scratched the back of his neck and walked to his closet, which was on the right side of his computer desk. He slid the door open and grabbed a pair of sweat pants and a white t-shirt to get comfortable before he started studying. He unloosed his belt and unbuttoned his pants to let them drop to the floor, leaving him in a pair of black boxers. He kicked the pants to the side and slid the sweat pants on so they hung loosely on his hips.

_Better pick it up or Yuzu will go into a fit,_ he thought to himself, knowing all too well how obsessive Yuzu could be about the house being clean. He picked up his school pants and threw them into a basket with the rest of his dirty laundry. He then unbuttoned his white school shirt and tossed it in with his pants, leaving him in a black t-shirt. He peeled that shirt off too and tossed it in with the others.

He grabbed the clean shirt and was about to put it on when he paused for a moment. He glanced down at his chest where a thin, pinkish scar two inches in length was spread diagonally. He put his shirt down on the desk and placed his index finger against the scar.

It had been a weeks since his stitches had been taken out, but it still felt as if the incident had just happened.

"_Look what you made me do, King. Do you think I like doing this? You know, if you only behaved none of this would have had to happen, but don't worry, my sweet. You will soon learn and then I'll come back for you and we'll be together. Just the two of us."_

The brief memory flashed through his mind as it did every time he looked upon the scar. It was a constant reminder to him of what had happened in his old town, of the reason they'd moved.

_Why am I thinking about this?_ He shook his head, grabbed his shirt, and resolutely put it on. He had enough studying to do for the night that he didn't need any distractions. It was bad enough that his father kept pulling him to the side wanting to discuss what had happened when he didn't want to talk about it. His father had even tried to make him go to a therapist, but he'd refused to speak to the stranger. He didn't need help; he was perfectly fine dealing with what had happened on his own, and he'd do better if everyone just left him alone about it!

He grabbed the back of his chair and pulled it out before plopping down in it. He grabbed his books and opened to the pages he needed to read. Hopefully tomorrow would be better.

* * *

"Hey, you gonna get off of my computer anytime soon?" Nnoitra growled. He was sitting on his bed glaring at his blue haired friend. Grimmjow was living with him at the moment, but right now he felt like dumping the moocher at Ulquiorra's house.

"Shut up, all you want to do is look at porn anyways," Grimmjow muttered as he clicked onto a new site.

Behind Grimmjow, Nnoitra grinned. "Well, it's better than watching you stalk the person you claim to hate so much," Nnoitra whispered. Grimmjow spun around in the chair and gave him the finger, but Nnoitra's grin only widened. "Seriously, you've been picking fights with him ever since he came to our school. Why don'tcha just ask him out," he suggested. Grimmjow chucked a notebook at him in retaliation.

"I don't fucking like him. I hate that little fucker," Grimmjow growled, and grew even more annoyed when he heard Nnoitra snort.

"I've heard your lame excuses. 'I hate him 'cause everyone likes him' whatever, just admit you like him. Besides, I can see you Googling his name. What are you, cyber stalking him?" he asked, jumping up from his bed and walking over to the other side of Grimmjow's chair. "Oh my god, you are." He shook his head.

"Ulquiorra told me about this, and _he _told me to Google his name. He said this is the reason why teachers take his side every time we get into a fight." He leaned back so Nnoitra could read the article, which was accompanied by a picture of a younger Ichigo and his family. Nnoitra skimmed through it and stared down at his friend.

"So you're going to use this against him?" Nnoitra asked. He still couldn't really see a reason for looking up Ichigo Kurosaki's past unless Grimmjow had a crush on him, and Nnoitra was thinking he'd hit the nail on the head. He, for one, could care less about the whole ordeal. All he wanted was a good fight, and he knew Kurosaki could give it.

Grimmjow had opened his mouth to swear at his friend when his cell phone rang. He glared at Nnoitra, warning him to keep his mouth shut before he flipped open his phone. "What?" he growled into the receiver, not caring who the caller was.

"I see your manners have not improved," a familiar voice rang over the line, and Grimmjow's eyes widened. Nnoitra looked at his friend, curious as to what could have shocked him so.

"Shawlong?" the blue haired teen whispered in shock. Nnoitra raised an eyebrow at the name. He had never heard Grimmjow mention that name before.

"I am not going to go into details; I just wanted to tell you that Edrad, Nakeem, and Di Roy were in a car accident last night and are in the hospital. They are not sure if Di Roy will make it," Shawlong announced, and Grimmjow felt his hand freeze up.

"What the fuck happened?" he demanded. He stood, knocking his chair over and startling Nnoitra. He clenched his hand in a fist and gripped his phone tighter in his hand.

"From what I was told, they were hit by a drunk driver going sixty miles an hour. They said the other guy died instantly. Di Roy suffered the most because the impact was on the passenger side door. Edrad and Nakeem are still in the hospital recovering with stitches and broken bones," Shawlong replied. Grimmjow placed his free hand on the computer desk and gripped it tightly.

"I'll get there as soon as I can, just have someone pick me up at the train station," he ordered.

"I thought so. I've already purchased your train ticket; it'll be leaving tomorrow at four. I'll have Yylfort pick you up. I will speak with you later," Shawlong said, and hung up the phone.

Grimmjow clicked his phone shut and stared at the wall. A mixture of emotions was running through him at the thought of those three being in the hospital. Edrad, Nakeem, Di Roy, Yylfort, and Shawlong were more than just his friends; they were his brothers. The six of them had grown up in the same orphanage and always had each other's backs. Even after he got adopted by his crappy new family, he'd always kept in contact with them.

"What was that about?" Nnoitra asked, breaking the silence. Grimmjow turned around, opened the closet, and started grabbing his clothes.

"I got to visit someone, just make sure to get the crap I miss in school," he said without thinking. After hearing what happened to Di Roy, Nakeem, and Edrad, his mind had shut off of everything around him. The only thing he wanted was to see them, especially considering the bad condition Shawlong said Di Roy was in. If he'd had a car, he would have driven there tonight. Having to wait until tomorrow was going to drive him nuts!

**Kyoto Mental Hospital – the next day: 11:45 am**

A five foot two girl with black hair tied into a bun walked down a white hallway. The orderlies she passed stared at her curiously, but the female doctor ignored them and hurried to her boss's office. She knew the reason behind the stares, and she knew all about the rumors surrounding her. The medical director, Dr. Yamamoto, had requested for her to take this case. At first she'd been hesitant; everyone in the Kyoto region knew about patient 10139, but it was not her place to judge. She'd become a doctor to help the mentally unstable, and she'd enjoyed her work for the three years she had been working in this facility.

"How long do you think she'll last?" she heard someone snickering behind her as she pressed the button for the elevator and waited for the doors to open. She shifted the papers she was holding and turned her head to the side.

"Well, considering Dr. Ichimaru lasted a month, I'd give her two days." She gritted her teeth and turned back to face the silver doors as they finally opened with a ding. She could care less what some orderlies thought; they were beneath her and she wasn't going to stoop down to their level.

She stepped into the elevator and pushed the button to go to the second level. She faced forward and composed herself, standing up straight and holding her head high as the doors closed. She tapped her foot lightly and glanced down at the watch on her right hand. _Good, I'm still early,_ she thought, knowing how strict Dr. Yamamoto could be and how little patience he had for those who keeping him waiting.

The door finally opened and she let a small smile spread across her face as she walked forward and down the hall. She did not go too far, only to the second door on the left, and she knocked on the door. _Ok I can do this, this is not going to be like last time, _she promised herself as she heard the elderly man's voice call her in from behind the door. She placed her hand on the doorknob and opened it to greet her superior.

"Dr. Hinamori, I wasn't expecting you for another ten minutes. Very well, take a seat." Dr. Yamamoto gestured towards the chairs in front of his desk. Dr. Momo Hinamori bowed slightly before shutting the door behind her. She stepped into the office, which was somewhat messy with several papers scattered across the desk. She sat down in the chair in front of it, and Dr. Yamamoto scooted his chair back to open a drawer at the bottom of his desk.

"Thank you for giving me this case, Dr. Yamamoto. I feel honored that you'd trust me with this patient," Momo said, breaking the silence in the room.

"Well as I told you over the phone, none of our other doctors want to take this case. I thought this would be the best way for you to prove yourself again since you got too close with your last patient," Dr. Yamamoto muttered as he pulled a relatively thick folder out from the drawer and plopped it on the desk.

Momo blushed slightly and bowed her head at the mention of her last patient. As much as she enjoyed her job, she did often grow too close to her patients and her last one had almost been the end of her. His name had been Sosuke Aizen, a patient that was brought in after he had tried to bomb a city in southern Japan while proclaiming he would become a god. She had felt sorry for him since he was obviously sick, but he'd ended up manipulating her to the point where she'd almost helped him break out. Luckily, she had been taken off his case before any damage could be done. Afterward, she had been suspended for two weeks. During that time she had regained her composure and tried to remind herself that no matter what, she couldn't grow too attached to her patients. She could feel sorry for them, support them, and help them in any other way she could, but she could not grow attached.

"I promise it won't happen again. I feel that I have learned my lesson and I won't make the same mistake twice," Momo said, and looked up at the older man who stared back down at her.

"I hope so, especially in this case." Dr. Yamamoto placed his hand over the file he had dug out, but didn't open it. "Now, Dr. Hinamori, how much do you know about patient 10139?" he asked, sitting back in his leather chair.

Momo looked up at him, feeling less nervous than she had been a few seconds ago. She folded her hands in her lap and sat up straight. "Well, everyone knows about the Grand Fisher River murders. Four years ago, he killed a man and a woman over a two day period. Then two years ago, he killed another woman. I remember seeing it on TV; it was horrifying, just like the rest of the murders. He mutilated his victims before dumping them into the river. No one knew who had killed those people until a few months ago when he was caught and taken here," she answered, the old man's face remaining passive all the while.

"That is correct, Dr. Hinamori," Yamamoto sighed, glancing down at the folder. "However, there is more. I am not going to go into detail because you can read for yourself, but you should know that when patient 10139 was first brought here, he only stayed a week before murdering one of our orderlies. The police went after him and discovered he had kidnapped and raped another victim," he revealed, and watched as a stunned expression fell across the young woman's face.

"I … I had no idea. No one ever said anything," she whispered, feeling sick to her stomach. She knew getting involved in this case was dangerous, but she hadn't known the patient had previously escaped from the facility.

"All those who were involved were ordered to remain silent. Even the detective in charge of the case kept it low profile so the press wouldn't catch wind of it," Dr. Yamamoto explained. "He was brought back in two months ago, and we've kept a close eye on him. That is, until Dr. Ichimaru was placed in charge of him…"

Momo narrowed her eyes at the name. That was one doctor she truly despised. The man looked like he should be a patient himself. From his short silver hair, his ever-present grin, down to the sole of his shoes, the man was creepy. She couldn't understand why that man had been placed in charge of such a dangerous patient, or any patient for that matter.

"I am sure you've heard that Dr. Ichimaru is no longer working here and is having charges pressed against him for assaulting patient 10139 and psychologically tormented him," Yamamoto announced, and Momo felt her stomach drop further. She had known that the other doctor had been fired, but she hadn't heard anything further. She knew how many of the people in this facility worked, how cold some of them could be, and she knew that many probably felt Ichimaru had served justice by tormenting patient 10139. Regardless of what patient 10139 might deserve, this could only have made matters worse.

"As of late, patient 10139 is in isolation since he attacked two orderlies three days ago," Dr. Yamamoto finished. He leaned forward in his chair and folded his hand together across the file. "I must ask you again since you now know more about this patient: do you still wish to take this case? I do not want to force you into it, especially considering how delicate this matter is," he said seriously and stared down at the girl.

Momo stared back at him before shifting her eyes to the side in thought. Her stomach was still clenching from the information she had just been given; patient 10139 was truly sick in every sense of the word. A part of her wanted to refuse the case and forget everything she had learned about the patient. However, what stopped her was the fact that she knew no one but her would treat this patient with respect or dignity. It was obvious that Dr. Ichimaru had played with the patient and made his condition even worse. She couldn't explain it, but she wanted to help this patient.

She looked up at Dr. Yamamoto and pushed pass the terror. " I accept," she said with a small smile.

"Very well, I will give you this to look over. I suggest you read it through before visiting patient 10139," Dr. Yamamoto suggested, picking up the folder and handing it to the younger doctor.

"Thank you." Dr. Hinamori smiled and looked down at the file that was labeled: Rue Niigata: #10139. She picked up the folder before sticking her hand out to shake her superior's hand.

"Oh, one last thing you should know: I am sure it is mentioned in the documentation, but just in case, patient 10139 doesn't like being referred to by his given name and it causes him to become considerably agitated. He prefers to be called Hichigo Shirosaki."

* * *

I hope this chapter answered the question some questions. There is no split personalities, one mind per body in this fic. As for Grimmjow's reason for disliking Ichigo, there is more to it which will be explained in another chapter. There probably won't be another update until after the 21st of this month, right now I'm on so much pain medication and it's making me a bit loopy and tired.

Chapter 3: We will learn a little more about "Hichigo Shirosaki" and he is very f'ed up in the head.

Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed, and please review!


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